Choosing the right topic to write about on your blog is essential if you want to write a post that engages your reader.
Rushing the choice of topic can put you in the wrong direction and end up wasting both your time and that of your reader.
Although sometimes the idea for an article hits you and requires little adaptation, I find that often (if not most) the first idea that comes to me for an article needs a little molding (or marinating) before being perfect. Often I come up with an idea for an article and end up turning it into something very different – but one that is much richer in terms of interest.
Here’s how choosing a blog post title often works for me:
- I’ll jot down a post topic idea in a text document on my desktop (this usually happens while I’m doing something else).
- Once a day, I scan my “ideas” text documents and look for a topic that concerns me for that day (I like to work on things that energize me).
- Once this document is open, I will start to think about points I could write about, ideas for titles, and think particularly about what readers’ needs the post might fill). I often use a mind mapping technique to do this brainstorming – it can actually lead to hundreds of post ideas.
- As I think, an article begins to take shape and, more importantly, the topic emerges. Although I’ve jotted down points and ideas for titles, it’s the “topic” that I’m particularly trying to narrow down at this point. Anything else is a bonus and will help reduce work later – but that’s the topic I’m trying to identify.
- Very often when I engage in this process, I end up with more than one topic – many of them will be set aside for another day, but some will emerge in a series of posts.
Other Tips for Choosing a Topic for Your Next Blog Post
- Identify a need – As mentioned above – I especially try to name a need or problem my reader is having. I find that if I can keep this in mind when writing an article, not only does it end up being a well-focused article, but it ends up being useful to readers. So, when choosing a topic to write about, identify the concrete needs you want the post to address and the questions you want the post to answer.
- Imagine a reader – Chris Garrett often explains that he has a number of readers in mind when he blogs – he keeps their situations, needs, questions, and challenges in front of him as he writes and even imagines them in his mind when he chooses topics and writes them. . In this way, it is not limited to theoretical or abstract topics, but comes closer to writing concrete and applicable articles that will touch readers. I highly recommend creating a reader avatar for your blog.
- Get out of the echo chamber – a trap that many bloggers fall into is producing blog posts that simply regurgitate what others write on their blogs. If the topic I want to write about is a topic that others are also covering, one of the things I try to do in this topic-choosing phase is find a new angle. How can you put your own spin on the subject? How can you give your readers something unique to think about? Read more about leaving the echo chamber (and also here).
- Write something that matters to you – I find that when I write an article that matters to me (as opposed to one that simply reports news or exploits a popular topic), it tends to connect on a deeper level with readers. I guess it really makes sense – when something matters to you, it comes through in the way you talk about it and it helps engage other people who also think it matters. Another way of saying this is to “let your topics choose you” rather than choosing which topics you want to write about.
- Write something current – Writing about a topic that is currently popular or that people are looking for information on is definitely something to keep in mind when selecting a topic to post about. Use a tool like Google Trends to observe trends in what people are searching for on Google, keep an eye on social media sites to see what people are upvoting for – these topics may be worth exploiting – particularly if you find a new way to explore them (see point above about leaving the echo chamber).
- One subject per message – this will vary a bit from blog to blog depending on your niche and writing style, but I find that posts that really focus on a particular topic and communicate a main idea tend to give great results. best results. There’s nothing wrong with writing long articles that cover a lot of stuff, but keep in mind that most people’s reading style online is to skim the content, flip through pages, and don’t Don’t dwell on one thing for too long. So narrow down the topic of your next blog post by narrowing it down to a simple idea. If you have several, write a series of articles or put the ones you aren’t going to focus on in your idea journal for another day. After all, you write a blog and can expand on your other ideas every day for the rest of your blog’s life!
- Plan ahead – one thing that has helped me a lot in my blogging when it comes to choosing which topics to cover is thinking through my blog in advance and developing an editorial calendar. I do this in my computer’s calendar program (I use iCal) where I have a dedicated calendar for each of my blogs. I don’t use it all the time, but I find it especially useful when I know I’m going to have a busy week or two (or when I’m traveling), because it helps me think clearly and plan my blog. . Chris G has a nice article on planning blog post topics with an editorial calendar.
- Looking for more ideas? – also on the topic of choosing a topic to blog about is my recent post 24 Things to Do When You’re Stuck for a Topic to Blog About – You’ll find lots of other ideas for coming up with post ideas there. And in the ProBlogger Member Library (FREE membership), you’ll find 6 months of blog post ideas.
Not every article you write will be able to do all of the things above.
There are times when, in most niches, you’ll need to cover a story that doesn’t really matter to you – or where you’re writing about something that matters and isn’t current – but somewhere in the mix of it all. these things, the subject of an article will emerge.
Take your time with choosing the topic
The goal of this current series is to challenge us as bloggers to take a little more time at different points in the blog post writing process.
So the main thing today is just to do it when it comes to choosing a topic. Don’t fall into the temptation of always writing about the first thing that comes to mind. Instead, take those ideas, shape them, and shape them into something special – something that will interest both you and your reader.
One more tip on selecting topics for blog posts
Looking for a little more inspiration and instruction on how to select topics for your blog posts?
Here’s a podcast to listen to that explains how to find blog post topics by analyzing your blog stats: PB030: Explore your Google Analytics stats [Day 30 of 31 Days to Build a Better Blog]
Do you have your own advice on choosing what topics to post about? Add them in the comments below – looking forward to hearing how you do.
Read the full series
This article is part of a series on how to write blog posts. This will be even more powerful if taken in the context of the full series which examines 10 points in the publishing process to pause and put in extra effort. Start reading this series here.